Ashley Eckstein Talks About Voicing Ahsoka Tano

Ashley EcksteinI'll admit when I first saw the trailer for the Clone Wars movie I wasn't too crazy about Ahsoka's character. She does seem a little annoying and disrespectful to be a padawan. Then again, she does seem like a perfect match for Anakin to be mentoring her. I know people have complained that Anakin never had a padawan. Since it's a time of war, maybe it was just never documented. Whatever.

Ahsoka & LuminaraI do think having the Ahsoka character is good. It's a way for the girls to relate more to the show. I'm not saying that the only way they can relate is by having a female character but it helps. My daughter likes the fact that they are boy and girl Jedi. Ahsoka is voiced by Ashley Eckstein, who has appeared on several live-action movies and TV shows like That's So Raven and Drake & Josh. Here are her thoughts on becoming part of the Star Wars Universe.

“It’s such a fun line of work because you really get to tap into your imagination,” Eckstein says. “The action is in your mind and it has to come through your voice, so you have to envision everything. I have to think, ‘How would I sound if I were fighting Ventress right now? How would I sound if I were picked up by a giant bird, flown across the room, and dropped on the floor?’ It’s like imagination boot camp when you go into a session with (supervising director) Dave Filoni and the rest of the cast.”

“The physical sounds are hardest because, well, you don’t think about these things in everyday life,” Eckstein says. “We talk all the time, so the dialogue is easy compared to figuring out what sound you’d make if you got hit by a lightsaber or fell out of a spaceship. I definitely have to get physical in the booth, and I probably look like the biggest nerd in there, using a pencil as a lightsaber. I really try to get into it, and it just helps to sound like you’re in the heat of battle.”

“Ahsoka’s emotions are very raw, and kids and teens can look at what she’s going through and really understand it,” Eckstein says. “Even though they’re not fighting in life-or-death battles, they may be dealing with bullies or trying to make the sports team or trying to impress a teacher. All of those situations easily mirror her emotions. That’s one of my favorite things about Ahsoka – while her experiences may be different, the personalities and the emotions are the same for everyone.”

They're trying to have that cheesey old newsreel type feel during the wars. I do like the little inspirational messages at the very beginning. My five year old and I discuss them before watching. I think it's awesome that she can get the meaning with what they're trying to convey.

I love the clones. I think that's the only reason I watch the show. I love how some are totally bad ass like that with the giant gun in the first episode, or the Rookie who was gonna die and the droids said: "Do we take prisoners?" the clone says: I.....Don't." BOOOM. The droids from now and than can be annoying, but I'm getting use to it.

I was wondering about the Snips name too. Obviously Anakin started using it in the movie. Maybe I should watch that again. Maybe it's because she can be...snippy? Talking back and all?

EDIT: This was entered at wikipedia:

She adopts a highly informal attitude towards her new Master and tends to address individuals by nicknames; for example, Anakin is dubbed "Sky Guy" and R2-D2 is referred to as "Artooey." Anakin in turn refers to her as "Snips," in reference to her snippy attitude when they first met.

"They're trying to have that cheesey old newsreel type feel during the wars. I do like the little inspirational messages at the very beginning. My five year old and I discuss them before watching. I think it's awesome that she can get the meaning with what they're trying to convey."

Reminds me of Starship Troopers. I like the show in general, havent seen the movie though.